Only once her body had stopped milking his fingers did he slip them out of her against her moaned protest.
“We’re almost at the Inn,” he told her. Thank fuck for that. He wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her for another ten minutes. They drove in silence, and by the time he pulled into the parking lot, his cock had settled enough that he’d be able to walk upright, if not comfortably. He parked in a darkened corner of the lot, not wanting to chance anyone seeing Charlotte as she righted her clothing.
“Want to come in with me, or wait out here while I get our room?” he asked.
“I’ll stay here.” Already she was pulling her jeans up over her hips. She reached over before he could get out of the truck, dug her fingers into his hair and pulled him in for a hard kiss. “Hurry,” she said when she finally released him.
It took all of five minutes to secure a room, four and a half of those longer than he wanted to be away from his mate. With a key in hand, he sprinted across the parking lot to where he’d parked the truck, only to find it—and Charlotte—gone.
The dragon raged inside him, wanting release. Jace threw his head back and roared, pain and fury fighting for dominance. She’d given him the slip. Again.
FOUR
Charlotte sank against the seat of the truck. She couldn’t stop grinning as she watched Jace sprint across the parking lot to the office. Not only had she been right that he was a dragon, but as her nose had started working, her dragon had shocked her by giving him her mating mark. She took a shuddering breath, shaking her head. She had a mate. He hadn’t bitten her yet, but the way he’d stiffened, with his teeth poised against her skin when he’d climaxed inside her, she’d known he’d wanted to. She brought her shaking fingers up to her still tingling lips.
He hadn’t mentioned a clan, not that she’d given him much of an opportunity for conversation. Maybe he was a lone dragon. But what if he did have a clan? She sat up a little straighter and glanced at the office door. Maybe she wouldn’t have to keep running. Surely if he did have a clan they would take her in and protect her from Adrian. It didn’t matter that she didn’t know Jace. Dragons didn’t share well. Surely he wouldn’t allow her to be taken by another man.
Lost in her thoughts, she wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings. By the time she saw movement right outside the truck window, it was too late. The passenger door swung open, and a big meaty fist came flying through the opening, hitting her straight in the jaw. The crack of flesh against flesh and pain barely registered before everything went black.
Charlotte’s head hurt and her stomach rolled as a wave of nausea greeted her to wakefulness. Moaning, she tried to lift her head, but it was too heavy. What the hell was wrong with her? She took a few deep breaths clearing her head enough to process what she was smelling. Clan. They had found her. She groaned but didn’t bother trying to lift her pounding head.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” the one who was driving yelled.
For a minute, she thought he was speaking to her, but then the one to her right grunted. “I had to do it. That guy she was with was a big ass dragon. We could have taken him, but the bitch would have gotten away, and there was no way in hell I was going back to Reyn and Adrian empty handed this time.”
“But of all the fucking places, you had to hit her in the face? He’s going to kill you for bruising her where people can see it.”
“Don’t be such a damned pussy, Pete,” the one to her right said. “She’s a dragon, for fuck’s sake. She’ll heal fast. Besides, she’s in heat. He’ll be too busy fucking her brains out to care about the bruise.”
“You almost broke her damned jaw,” Pete yelled.
“So she won’t be able to suck his dick for a few days, or maybe he’ll make her anyway, who the hell cares,” the guy to her right said, then laughed. “That might even be fun to watch.”
Fury rose fast and hard inside of her, but she didn’t move a muscle. She didn’t want them to know she was awake. If hitting her was of no consequence, heaven only knew what they’d do to keep her quiet until they got to wherever they were taking her.
The two men were silent for a few minutes. All the while, Charlotte remained as still as she could. Bound behind her back, her hands had gone painfully numb. The pins and needles jabbing through each of her fingers were excruciating. If it weren't for being trapped inside the vehicle, she’d be able to shift and try to defend herself, but as it was, she had to be patient. Once they stopped and tried to move her, all bets would be off.